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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Karnataka government seeks action against two serving IFS officers for allowing Bengaluru land worth Rs 14,000 crore to be declared ‘not a forest'
The Karnataka forest ministry has sought legal and disciplinary action against two serving Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers for allegedly facilitating the handover of forest land worth approximately Rs 14,000 crore – held by the public sector company Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Bengaluru – to third parties, including private entities. Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre announced this week that the government had recommended action against two serving IFS officers, one retired IFS officer, and one retired IAS official for facilitating the filing of an application in the Supreme Court 'seeking permission for denotification of HMT forest land worth over Rs 14,000 crore.' The controversy pertains to 599 acres of land in a plantation in the Peenya Jalahalli region, which was declared a forest in 1896 and was later transferred to the public sector HMT in the 1960s to create industrial infrastructure through a donation deed by the Bengaluru district collector. In recent years, large portions of the land given to HMT by the forest department for industrial purposes have allegedly been used to facilitate major real estate projects through the connivance of state and central government officials. Over the last year, a dispute has arisen over the land between the Union heavy industries ministry headed by former Karnataka CM and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy – who is looking at monetising the land to resuscitate the fortunes of HMT – and the state forest department which is trying to recover the HMT land by arguing that it remains a forest land. 'This plantation is owned by HMT. It is illegal for the organisation to sell to government departments/organisations and private individuals. However, the fact that forest officials did not make any attempt to recover the land and, without even drawing the attention of the Cabinet, submitted an Interim Application (IA) to the Supreme Court seeking denotification in 2020 is a cause for doubt,' the Karnataka forest minister had stated earlier this year. Last year, in November, the state government had issued notices to the forest officials concerned over the filing of the IA in the SC on the HMT forest land. In January this year, the state government had ordered that since 281 acres of the 599 acres of land donated to HMT is vacant land 'without any building', the forest department must take possession of the vacant forest land. Among the forest officers against whom action has been sought by the state government is IFS officer R Gokul, who was whistle blower in the illegal mining scam in Karnataka in 2009-11 – when as deputy conservator of forests he reported the large scale exports through the Belekeri port of iron ore illegally excavated from the forests of Bellary by a mining mafia. The other officers are former forest secretary Sandeep Dave, a retired IAS officer, retired IFS officer Vijay Kumar Gogo, and serving senior IFS officer Smita Bijoor. The state government has also taken umbrage over the fact that IFS officer Gokul – who is a chief conservator – has written to the CBI saying he is being targeted by the Congress government for bringing evidence in the illegal mining cases being prosecuted by the CBI against some political leaders in Karnataka. The land granted to HMT 'is alienated, real estate companies have built hundreds of flats. Shooting of serials and films is going on. The land is being used for commercial purposes. How this was allowed is the question,' Forest Minister Khandre said this week. 'The forest land in the possession of HMT is the property of seven crore Kannadigas, and a few officials have applied for denotification without even bringing this to the attention of the then forest minister and without seeking prior approval of the Cabinet,' Khandre added. 'Notices have been issued to four officials, including two retired and two serving officials, and a recommendation for action has been sent to the chief minister,' he further said. The forest minister said that the IA submitted by the state in 2020 (during the tenure of the BJP government in Karnataka) contained false information since it said that the land given to HMT had lost its forest nature. The information on the filing of the IA in the SC was not brought to the notice of even a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary, which was created in 2015 to resolve the issue of forest land held by institutions in Bengaluru, the forest minister claimed. He said that just 25 days after the filing of the IA in the SC, on July 15, 2020, it was decided that the denotification of forest areas can be recommended to the state cabinet by the additional chief secretary of the forest, environment, and biology department. The forest minister said that a file had been submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to suspend IFS officer Gokul and to conduct a departmental inquiry against the other serving officer. While the Karnataka forest department has withdrawn the June 2020 affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on the nature of the HMT land and has initiated measures to recover the land, Union Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy has indicated that there is no question of returning the land under the control of the HMT factory. Kumaraswamy has in the past questioned the state government's intentions in taking back the land granted to HMT. 'What do they plan to do with the land if they take it back from the factory, and which builder do they intend to give it to? 'Who gave permission to sell 200 acres of land formerly belonging to HMT? Who was in power in the state from 1999 to 2004 (Congress tenure)? In 2006, when I became chief minister, I ordered that even an inch of HMT land cannot be sold,' Kumaraswamy earlier stated.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Eshwar Khandre recommends suspension of IFS officer
Bengaluru: A case has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking permission to denotify HMT forest land worth over Rs 14,000 crore, and action has been recommended against a retired IAS, IFS and two sitting IFS officers, Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre said. Speaking to reporters who met him in Bengaluru on Friday, he said that the land in the possession of HMT has not been converted to non-forest purposes. 'Therefore, according to several judgments given by the Supreme Court and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, it remains a forest even today. However, this land is alienated, real estate companies have built hundreds of flats. Shooting of serials and films is going on. The land is being used for commercial purposes. How this was allowed is questionable', he said. Responding to a journalist's question about why no action has been taken even after seven months of giving notice to officials in the case of IA for denotification of HMT forest land without the permission of the cabinet, the minister said that the forest land in the possession of HMT is the property of 7 crore Kannadigas, which a few officials did not even bring to the attention of the then Forest Minister and applied for denotification without seeking the prior permission of the cabinet. He said that notices have been issued to four officials, including two retired and two serving ones, and that he has recommended action to the Chief Minister. Additional Chief Principal Conservator of Forests R Gokul has written a letter to the CBI seeking protection, saying that he is being victimised because he got the ruling party MLAs punished in the Belikeri case. Responding to a journalist's question whether the government is victimising officials, Khandre said that this is a completely false allegation made against the government. 'On September 24, 2024, I sent a written note to the Additional Chief Secretary, asking for a show cause notice to the officers who had issued IA without the prior approval of the Cabinet and asked them to take action' the Minister said. 'A month after the notice was given, the verdict was delivered in October 2024. R. Gokul wrote a letter to the CBI to cover up his mistake, making false allegations against the government, which could also be considered misconduct by the officer or a threat tactic', he said. He personally visited the HMT forest land area, where there is still 280 acres of plantation. However, the IA was submitted by giving false information to the Supreme Court that the said land has lost its forest status. The officer writing the letter to the CBI in his defence questioned why he did not write a letter to the Chief Minister saying that there is forest on the HMT land. It cannot be submitted as an IA because it has lost its forest status. A high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary was formed in 2015 to discuss and recommend to the government the forest land held by other institutions in Bengaluru. Without even bringing it to the attention of that committee, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court on June 20, 2020, seeking permission for denotification without the permission of the Cabinet. In just 25 days, i.e. on 15 July 2020, a high-level meeting was held to decide the issue 'I have asked the Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment and Ecology Department to submit a proposal for denotification of such forest areas after seeking the opinion of the Advocate General regarding the sanction of areas to various/government institutions before 1980 for a decision.' However, he said that ex-post facto permission was not obtained for this. Hence, notices were issued to four officers. He said that he has now submitted a file to the Chief Minister to suspend Gokul and conduct an inquiry, conduct a departmental inquiry against another officer and take action against a retired IAS officer and an IFS officer as per the rules. As soon as this matter came to his notice, an application was filed in the Supreme Court to withdraw the IA. The Cabinet's permission has also been obtained to withdraw the IA, said Eshwar Khandre. The government's intention is to build another huge park in North Bengaluru on the forest land in the possession of HMT. 'Our goal is to save breathing space for the next generation' Eshwar Khandre said and added that he had made this point clear even before filing an application in the Supreme Court to withdraw the IA.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Minister recommends suspension in forest case
disciplinary action Supreme Court plea HMT forest land Indian Forest Service Indian Administrative Service Cabinet approval real estate firms Real estate firms have constructed hundreds of flats on it. This raises serious questions about how such usage was permitted – Eshwar BK, Minister Plan for urban park Karnataka Forest, Ecology, and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre announced that disciplinary action has been recommended against four officials, two retired and two serving officers from the(IFS) and(IAS), for their involvement in the controversial proposal submitted to the Supreme Court withoutKhandre stated that over `14,000 crore worth of HMT land, which falls under forest classification, has not been officially converted for non-forest purposes. 'As per multiple Supreme Court judgments and the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, this land still qualifies as forest. However,have constructed hundreds of flats on it, film and television shoots are being held, and the land is being used for commercial purposes. This raises serious questions about how such usage was permitted,' he asked why no action had been taken seven months after notices were issued to the officials involved, Khandre responded, 'This forest land under HMT is the property of 7 crore Kannadigas. Yet, a few officers, without bringing it to the then Forest Minister's notice or seeking prior Cabinet approval, filed an Interlocutory Application (IA) in the Supreme Court requesting denotification.'He confirmed that notices had been served to four officials and that he had formally recommended action to the Chief Minister, including the suspension of a senior IFS officer. In a related development, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R Gokul has written to the CBI seeking protection, alleging that he is being made a scapegoat for penalising ruling party MLAs in the Belikeri illegal mining case. Responding to this, Khandre dismissed Gokul's claims as 'completely false accusations against the government.'The Minister revealed that he had written to the Additional Chief Secretary on September 24, 2024, instructing that action be taken against the officials who filed the IA without Cabinet approval. The Belikeri judgment was handed down a month later, in October 2024. 'Gokul is now levelling false charges against the government to cover up his misconduct. This can be seen as either misbehaviour or an intimidation tactic,' said also revealed that he inspected the HMT land and found around 280 acres of dense forest still intact. 'Despite this, the IA submitted to the Supreme Court a false claim that the land had lost its forest characteristics. If Gokul truly believed in the sanctity of the land, why didn't he write to the Chief Minister instead of the CBI?' he questioned.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
HMT land: Minister seeks suspension of senior IFS officer
Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre on Friday recommended the suspension of two serving IFS officers, including Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R. Gokul, in connection with a case filed in the Supreme Court seeking permission to denotify HMT forest land valued over ₹14,000 crore. In addition, he has also recommended action against two retired bureaucrats under service rules. Mr. Khandre told reporters that the land which is under HMT's control has not been legally converted for non-forest purposes, and therefore, as per various Supreme Court judgments and the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the land remains classified as forest. He added that despite this the land has been encroached upon and real estate companies have built hundreds of flats. Besides film shoots have taken place on the HMT land. To a question on why no action had been taken in the past seven months since notices were issued to the officials in the IA filing case which was done without Cabinet approval, the Minister said: 'A few officers submitted the IA without bringing it to the attention of the then Forest Minister or obtaining Cabinet approval. Notices were issued to four officers (two retired and two serving), and a recommendation has been made to the Chief Minister for further action.' IFS officer writes to CBI Mr. Gokul had reportedly written to the CBI seeking protection and claimed that he was being made a 'scapegoat' for taking action against Congress MLAs in the Belekeri case. The Minister denied the allegations by the senior IFS officer and said that on September 24, 2024, he sent a written note to the Additional Chief Secretary, to issue notices and take action against officials who filed the IA without prior cabinet approval. 'A month later, in October 2024, the Belikeri verdict came out. Mr. Gokul, to cover his own misdeeds, falsely accused the government in a letter to the CBI,' he said. Mr. Khandre said he has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recommending suspension of Mr. Gokul and to order a departmental inquiry against another officer.
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Minister suggests action against four officials over bid to denotify forest land
Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre said he has recommended action against two retired officers and two serving Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, including the suspension of Additional Chief Principal Conservator of Forests R Gokul, in connection with the controversial attempt to denotify forest land held by Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in the media in Bengaluru, Khandre stated that although the land is currently under HMT's possession, it has not been converted to non-forest use and therefore continues to be classified as forest land as per the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and various Supreme Court judgments. Despite this, the land has been alienated and is being used for commercial purposes, including the construction of residential complexes and film and television shoots. 'How this was allowed is questionable,' he to a question on the lack of action for seven months after notices were issued to officials involved in submitting an interlocutory application (IA) before the Supreme Court without cabinet approval, Khandre criticised the officials for bypassing protocol. 'This forest land is the property of seven crore Kannadigas. Yet, a few officials did not even bring the matter to the attention of the then forest minister and sought denotification without obtaining the cabinet's prior approval," he said. He added that he had issued notices to four officers, including two retired and two serving ones, and had recommended disciplinary action to the Chief Minister. In a letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Gokul alleged he was being targeted for securing punishment against ruling party legislators in the Belikeri port illegal iron ore export case. However, Khandre dismissed this as false. 'On September 24, 2024, I sent a written note to the Additional Chief Secretary, asking for a show-cause notice and action against those officers who issued the IA without cabinet approval. The Belikeri judgment came a month later, in October 2024. Gokul's letter to the CBI is an attempt to cover up his own actions, and may even amount to misconduct or a threat tactic,' the Minister who personally visited the area, said 280 acres of plantation still exists on the land. He said the IA submitted to the Supreme Court falsely claimed that the land no longer qualified as forest. 'If there is forest on the land, why did the officer not write to the Chief Minister instead of the CBI? One cannot claim in court that the land has lost forest status just to file an IA,' he further pointed out that a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary was formed in 2015 to examine forest land under institutional control in Bengaluru. 'But without even informing the committee, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court on June 20, 2020, seeking denotification. In just 25 days, on July 15, 2020, a high-level meeting instructed the Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, to submit a proposal to the cabinet after seeking the Advocate General's opinion on whether land granted to institutions before 1980 could be denotified. However, no ex-post facto approval was taken for this decision,' he said a file has now been submitted to the Chief Minister recommending the suspension of Gokul and an inquiry, a departmental probe against another serving officer, and appropriate action under service rules against the two retired officers — one from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and another from the also clarified that the government had filed an application in the Supreme Court to withdraw the IA once the issue came to light, and that cabinet approval has been obtained for the the Minister revealed that the government intends to develop a large park on the forest land held by HMT in north Bengaluru. 'We want to preserve breathing space for future generations,' Khandre said, noting that he had made this intention clear even before the IA withdrawal was initiated in the Supreme Court. IN THIS STORY#Karnataka
